Automatic Fury
by Somerandomguy1123
Summary: A short story from the mad ramblings of SomeRandomGuy


Automatic Fury

A Short Story By Somerandomguy

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Another second ticked by. Then another. Then another. Amongst the dancing flames and strewn debris, there was sound, and there was motion, but the chaos had gone. For now.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

The seconds kept ticking by. Deep breath in. And out. The man trembled as he forced himself to breathe. In and out. In and out.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

One thirty-nine and sixteen seconds.

Seventeen.

Eighteen.

The stars twinkled above him as he lay, hidden in the underbrush, clutching his rifle for dear life. It had come out of nowhere, as such things usually do. One moment he was on point, sharp eyes on the horizon, the next, on his belly in a bush next to a burning wreck.

The fire snapped. Barely able to keep himself from letting loose a round into the petrifying plume of plasma, the man squeezed his rifle tighter.

"Breath in, and out. In and out" His grip on his rifle did not loosen.

Fighting to stay calm the man risked a look at his burning transport. It had been blown onto its side by the explosion and was currently being gutted by fire. There was little trace of the trailing vehicle save for a few burning hunks of metal.

No survivors.

Fuck.

The man's training slowly started to kick in. Quickly he reached into one of his seemingly endless number of vest pockets and removed a small, square device. Holding it close to his mouth he whispered "Private James Wagner, under hostile fire. Enemy presence unknown. Two vehicles destroyed by an unexpected explosion, no warning. No survivors known at this time, none expected".

He paused cautiously, listening for movement. Nothing.

"I have, uhh…" he paused to rummage through his pockets. "...three, four. Four magazines, and a grenade. I have a radio, but it is currently nonfunctional." The fire snapped again. Private Wagner placed his recorder back into his vest and looked around the scene. The next step was to secure the site. He would need to build courage for this one.

The area was densely treed, with thick underbrush everywhere except for the muddy, sunken excuse for a road they had been traveling on. Wagner brushed aside a shrub, struggling to see into the darkness. The flickering flames of the fire did little to help, casting false shadows throughout the forest. If the enemy was there, the only sign would be in the form of a new lead lining of Wagner`s insides. Heavy metal coatings or not, if a rescue team were to arrive without a clear area, Wagner wouldn't be the only man with a strong resemblance to Swiss cheese. The area needed to be cleared.

Just as he was about to move, he heard it. Barely audible over the crackling of the oily flames that were slowly digesting his vehicle. A whistle. Not a blown whistle, it was more persistent than that. Wagner had heard sounds like that before.

A loon wailed in the distance.

Suddenly a small patch of stars disappeared over the treeline. And then a few more stars. And then a few more. As the patch grew in size Wagner realized there was something there, blocking out the stars. And getting bigger. Getting closer.

Then he saw it, faintly illuminated by the ever-shrinking fires of his mangled mechanized wrecks. A great black shape sailed overhead, nearly silent in the stillness of the night. Its wings were massive, like those of a monstrous bat, The body was equally massive, and tapered off into a long tail, upon which were mounted two smaller, but still massive bat-like appendages. As quickly as it had come it vanished almost directly overhead, obscured by the trees.

Wagner did not have to wait long for its return. This time it appeared not as a silent shadow, but as a screaming vessel of death. The shriek of the creature was cut off midway by a streak of light and a massive explosion. Wagner ducked his head as pieces of shrapnel from the now non-existent vehicle peppered his face. Wagner lifted his head, and his heart stopped. There on the far side of the now-clearing stood what James would have considered to be a beautifully magnificent creature, had it not just killed his entire squad.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

The beast slowly swept it`s gaze across the wreckage, it's enormous eyes beaming through the air.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

James' watch ticked on, unnoticed. The beast was staring at his position with its massive green eyes.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

James knew there was little time before he would be discovered.

Breath in. Breath out. His heart pounded in his chest so hard he was sure the beast could hear it. Suddenly the creature began to move towards him. This was it. In a sudden moment of clarity, James knew what he had to do. If he was to die tonight, it would not be quietly.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Gripping his rifle tighter than ever James leapt to his feet and released a mighty war cry, followed by a flurry of bullets. The beast was caught off guard and leapt away in surprise, lead pounding its flesh. With a terrible cry it lunged at James, teeth barred and eyes as narrow as slits. Heart pounding, James cried back even louder and began to advance towards the charging beast.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom

His rifle seemed to fire in slow motion as the creature approached. It was so close now James could almost feel the heat of its breath. His rifle ground to a halt, bolt open. Empty. James threw the rifle down and charged harder at the beast.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Perhaps he would see his friends in Valhalla.

Tick.

Tick.

Ti-.


End file.
